While there are many zoonotic diseases -- diseases your pets can have and give to you -- there are also diseases which are pet-specific and that do not travel between humans and animals. Here is a list of some of those diseases which are pet-specific, but are sometimes misunderstood as a threat to humans:

FIVCommonly known as Feline AIDS, this is a virus that cats can have which affects their immune system. It is the result of a lentivirus and will cause infected cats to become vulnerable to other diseases, such as lymphoma. However, some cats can have FIV and not have any long term effects.

Canine Distemper VirusThis virus can be very devastating for dogs. It starts as a respiratory infection, becomes an intestinal disease, and can ultimately cause seizures. Fortunately, wide spread vaccination has done a wonderful job of eliminating the disease in dogs who are vaccinated. Although humans can pick up the virus, it does not cause any diseases in humans.

Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)FeLV decreases the immune system in cats. FeLV-positive cats are more susceptible to contracting other diseases, so good hygiene is always a must for infected cats and their owners.

Parvo VirusEven though there are many human versions of the parvo virus, these are not the same as that which causes parvo virus infections in dogs. So if your dog does become infected with the parvo virus, you and your household are not at risk. However, good hygiene is necessary for the entire household, because dogs infected with parvo can also have other diseases that they can spread to you, such as worms.

Kennel CoughKennel cough is caused by bacteria and viral components. The viral portion is a very species-specific virus to dogs. While there are viruses very similar to kennel cough that can make humans sick, the kennel cough virus your dog has will not be spread to you.

It's important to remember that, even if your pet has one of these diseases which are not known to cause problems in people, your pet may also have other infections that are known to cause problems in humans. I always recommend good hygienic habits when handling any affected animals to lessen the possibility of secondary or co-infections.

Have any of your pets been affected by these diseases? If so, what did you do to protect your pet from secondary infections?

Thanks for your Reply!

7 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Diseases You Can Not Get From Your PetWhile there are many zoonotic diseases -- diseases your pets can have and give to you -- there are also diseases which are pet-specific and that do not travel between humans and animals. Here is a list of some of those diseases which are pet-specific, but are sometimes misunderstood as a threat to humans:

FIVCommonly known as Feline AIDS, this is a virus that cats can have which affects their immune system. It is the result of a lentivirus and will cause infected cats to become vulnerable to other diseases, such as lymphoma. However, some cats can have FIV and not have any long term effects.

Canine Distemper VirusThis virus can be very devastating for dogs. It starts as a respiratory infection, becomes an intestinal disease, and can ultimately cause seizures. Fortunately, wide spread vaccination has done a wonderful job of eliminating the disease in dogs who are vaccinated. Although humans can pick up the virus, it does not cause any diseases in humans.

Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)FeLV decreases the immune system in cats. FeLV-positive cats are more susceptible to contracting other diseases, so good hygiene is always a must for infected cats and their owners.

Parvo VirusEven though there are many human versions of the parvo virus, these are not the same as that which causes parvo virus infections in dogs. So if your dog does become infected with the parvo virus, you and your household are not at risk. However, good hygiene is necessary for the entire household, because dogs infected with parvo can also have other diseases that they can spread to you, such as worms.

Kennel CoughKennel cough is caused by bacteria and viral components. The viral portion is a very species-specific virus to dogs. While there are viruses very similar to kennel cough that can make humans sick, the kennel cough virus your dog has will not be spread to you.

It's important to remember that, even if your pet has one of these diseases which are not known to cause problems in people, your pet may also have other infections that are known to cause problems in humans. I always recommend good hygienic habits when handling any affected animals to lessen the possibility of secondary or co-infections.

Have any of your pets been affected by these diseases? If so, what did you do to protect your pet from secondary infections?

Just a note on "Kennel Cough" which might be confusing to some people. As you know and mention, there are a variety of causes of what is popularly called "Kennel Cough" (and the experts are now calling, "Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease" i.e. "CIRD"). The two most common causes include a virus (Parainfluenza) and a bacteria (Bordetella bronchiseptica). You say you are talking about the viral cause of Kennel Cough, and I think you're correct on that.

But I think many nearly equate a Bordetella bronchiseptica bacterial infection with "Kennel Cough" ... and there is evidence that immunocompromised people can become infected and quite sick with Bordetella bronchiseptica. The more common form of Bordetella that infects humans is Bordetella pertussis (i.e. Whooping Cough) but occasionally Bordetella bronchiseptica is found in humans.

Dr Richard Ford (a leading veterinary Infectious Disease expert from NC State and a co-author of the AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines) tells the story at vet CE talks of a woman who boarded her dogs when she went to the hospital to give birth to her child. When she returned home and got her dogs, they were coughing with what turned out to be Bordetella bronchiseptica. Soon after, the new mother got very ill and was hospitalized, and I think went into a coma. The hospital kept culturing Bordetella bronchiseptica ... and called Dr Ford to come for a consultation. The woman recovered but it was an example that some people with a compromised immune system (of which pregnancy can be a cause) can be susceptible to Bordetella bronchiseptica.

In the new (fall 2011) AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines, one of the Q&A items at the end refers to this in terms of the use of the Intranasal vaccine for Bordetella bronchiseptica (Bb) which is an attenuated (weakened) live bacterin vaccine. Here is the Q&A from the Guidelines:

52. Is there any risk to clientele or veterinary staff, especially immune compromised individuals, subsequent to intranasal vaccination with an avirulent live (attenuated) Bb vaccine?

It is possible for transient shedding of attenuated Bb to occur following intranasal administration. There are two known reports identifying a temporal relationship between the identification of human Bordetella infection and exposure to attenuated live Bb canine vaccine, one of which was in an immunocompromised patient.

I realize that it is a rare occurrence and seems to only be a problem with immunocompromised people. And I know you were talking about the viral cause of Kennel Cough (Parainfluenza). But I just wanted to mention that there may be some people (e.g. with AIDS, taking chemotherapy, having had their spleen removed, etc) who may want to be careful if their dog starts coughing a lot, particularly after being boarded, and might have Bordetella bronchiseptica.

I think it can be confusing when "Kennel Cough" is often used to describe multiple types of infections and just wanted to (hopefully) help clarify what you were saying.

Just a note on "Kennel Cough" which might be confusing to some people. As you know and mention, there are a variety of causes of what is popularly called "Kennel Cough" (and the experts are now calling, "Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease" i.e. "CIRD"). The two most common causes include a virus (Parainfluenza) and a bacteria (Bordetella bronchiseptica). You say you are talking about the viral cause of Kennel Cough, and I think you're correct on that.

But I think many nearly equate a Bordetella bronchiseptica bacterial infection with "Kennel Cough" ... and there is evidence that immunocompromised people can become infected and quite sick with Bordetella bronchiseptica. The more common form of Bordetella that infects humans is Bordetella pertussis (i.e. Whooping Cough) but occasionally Bordetella bronchiseptica is found in humans.

Dr Richard Ford (a leading veterinary Infectious Disease expert from NC State and a co-author of the AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines) tells the story at vet CE talks of a woman who boarded her dogs when she went to the hospital to give birth to her child. When she returned home and got her dogs, they were coughing with what turned out to be Bordetella bronchiseptica. Soon after, the new mother got very ill and was hospitalized, and I think went into a coma. The hospital kept culturing Bordetella bronchiseptica ... and called Dr Ford to come for a consultation. The woman recovered but it was an example that some people with a compromised immune system (of which pregnancy can be a cause) can be susceptible to Bordetella bronchiseptica.

In the new (fall 2011) AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines, one of the Q&A items at the end refers to this in terms of the use of the Intranasal vaccine for Bordetella bronchiseptica (Bb) which is an attenuated (weakened) live bacterin vaccine. Here is the Q&A from the Guidelines:

52. Is there any risk to clientele or veterinary staff, especially immune compromised individuals, subsequent to intranasal vaccination with an avirulent live (attenuated) Bb vaccine?

It is possible for transient shedding of attenuated Bb to occur following intranasal administration. There are two known reports identifying a temporal relationship between the identification of human Bordetella infection and exposure to attenuated live Bb canine vaccine, one of which was in an immunocompromised patient.

I realize that it is a rare occurrence and seems to only be a problem with immunocompromised people. And I know you were talking about the viral cause of Kennel Cough (Parainfluenza). But I just wanted to mention that there may be some people (e.g. with AIDS, taking chemotherapy, having had their spleen removed, etc) who may want to be careful if their dog starts coughing a lot, particularly after being boarded, and might have Bordetella bronchiseptica.

I think it can be confusing when "Kennel Cough" is often used to describe multiple types of infections and just wanted to (hopefully) help clarify what you were saying.

I cannot agree that there is some kind of link between my dog's kennel cough vaccine and my reaction. Three years ago between 4-7 days after their vaccine, I developed a cough and slight upper respiratory tightness. Two years ago, again within the same time lines, I got upper respiratory infection. One year ago, Ebony, who was sitting between my legs, sneezed out the vaccine immediately on application into my face, within 3 days I was infected with an upper respiratory infection and feverish. This year, I told my vet about my suspected correlation, I was told to wait outside whilst the procedure took place. I was careful not to get too close to the Collies, however, next morning my husband let the dogs out and they came into my room to greet me. Without warning my Collie male sneezed mucus straight into my face, whilst I was asleep, guess what? You've got it, less than 7 days later, 4 of which were sore stinging throat, I have an upper respiratory infection, along with coughing and fever. I can't say that I am barking, but my Mum says I sound a little Husky, thanks Mum for the empathy. I do not suffer hay fever, or any other respiratory or lung disease, I just want to know why? I do have severe CFS/ME when I get a cold it takes me 3 months to get symptom free of fatigue. Please help do I get them vaccinated next year as every reaction to their vaccine seems to be more violent?

Thanks for your Reply!

Report This| Share this:Diseases You Can Not Get From Your PetI cannot agree that there is some kind of link between my dog's kennel cough vaccine and my reaction. Three years ago between 4-7 days after their vaccine, I developed a cough and slight upper respiratory tightness. Two years ago, again within the same time lines, I got upper respiratory infection. One year ago, Ebony, who was sitting between my legs, sneezed out the vaccine immediately on application into my face, within 3 days I was infected with an upper respiratory infection and feverish. This year, I told my vet about my suspected correlation, I was told to wait outside whilst the procedure took place. I was careful not to get too close to the Collies, however, next morning my husband let the dogs out and they came into my room to greet me. Without warning my Collie male sneezed mucus straight into my face, whilst I was asleep, guess what? You've got it, less than 7 days later, 4 of which were sore stinging throat, I have an upper respiratory infection, along with coughing and fever. I can't say that I am barking, but my Mum says I sound a little Husky, thanks Mum for the empathy. I do not suffer hay fever, or any other respiratory or lung disease, I just want to know why? I do have severe CFS/ME when I get a cold it takes me 3 months to get symptom free of fatigue. Please help do I get them vaccinated next year as every reaction to their vaccine seems to be more violent?

Your reply is a bit confusing in that your first sentence says that you canNOT agree that there is a link between your dog's kennel cough and your reaction ... but then you seem to spend the rest of the post saying that you feel there IS a connection.

Showing "cause and effect" is always a great challenge in "evidence based medicine". The only way to know for sure would be for your doctor to do a culture after you get sick soon after your dog's vaccination ... and see if they culture Bordetella bronchiseptica (a common cause of "kennel cough").

You do say that you have severe CFS/ME. I don't know all abbreviations and generally encourage people to spell them out one time. I am guessing from context that "CFS" is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I don't know what ME is. But if either of them (or something else) indicates that you have a compromised immune system ... then the possibility exists that you may be getting infected from the vaccine strain. All intranasal vaccines are "live" vaccines that replicate but have been modified so that they do not cause disease in the dog. But if you have a compromised immune system, it is possible that it could make you sick ... though only a culture (or PCR if there is one) could determine if that is the case with you.

My first question is ... why is your dog being vaccinated for Bordetella bronchiseptica (and/or parainfluenza) annually? They are "non-core" vaccines that are only recommended for dogs that are at a high risk of exposure. Is your dog kenneled regularly where it is required?

If your dog really needs the vaccine, you have a couple options. One is to use the injectable vaccine which is killed (inactivated). I was just talking to my friend/mentor, Dr Ford, about this a couple days ago. If I remember correctly, I think Zoetis (formerly called Pfizer) makes the only injectable (killed) Bordetella vaccine ... called "Bronchicine CAe". Since the Bordetella in the vaccine is dead, it does not replicate and cannot infect you ... and it is not given in the nose, so it cannot be sneezed out.

The drawback to the use of the injected Bordetella vaccine is that most of the experts do not feel it is as protective for the dog as the intranasal vaccines since the intranasals give a better local immunity in the nasal area. They generally recommend using the intranasal (IN) but if there is a reason it can't be used (e.g. uncooperative dogs that might take off the hand of the vet), then they say that the injected vaccine can be used. Perhaps, your situation would also be a reason for using the injected vaccine.

Also, there is a common viral cause of "kennel cough" called Canine Parainfluenza (CPIV). The injected Bordetella doesn't contain it ... (while most, if not all, the intranasal vaccines contain both Bordetella and CPIV). So, you may want your vet to also use a core vaccine (for Distemper, Adenovirus-2, Parvovirus) that ALSO has a modified live CPIV vaccine. So that your dog is covered for both Bordetella and CPIV.

The only other option that I can think of is for you to avoid ALL contact with your dog after vaccination for a while. I'm not sure how long shedding may last ... maybe a week or two?

I'm not a vet and I only make the above suggestions based on the 2011 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines ... and anything I may have learned from Dr Ford who is one of the co-authors of those Guidelines.

Your reply is a bit confusing in that your first sentence says that you canNOT agree that there is a link between your dog's kennel cough and your reaction ... but then you seem to spend the rest of the post saying that you feel there IS a connection.

Showing "cause and effect" is always a great challenge in "evidence based medicine". The only way to know for sure would be for your doctor to do a culture after you get sick soon after your dog's vaccination ... and see if they culture Bordetella bronchiseptica (a common cause of "kennel cough").

You do say that you have severe CFS/ME. I don't know all abbreviations and generally encourage people to spell them out one time. I am guessing from context that "CFS" is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I don't know what ME is. But if either of them (or something else) indicates that you have a compromised immune system ... then the possibility exists that you may be getting infected from the vaccine strain. All intranasal vaccines are "live" vaccines that replicate but have been modified so that they do not cause disease in the dog. But if you have a compromised immune system, it is possible that it could make you sick ... though only a culture (or PCR if there is one) could determine if that is the case with you.

My first question is ... why is your dog being vaccinated for Bordetella bronchiseptica (and/or parainfluenza) annually? They are "non-core" vaccines that are only recommended for dogs that are at a high risk of exposure. Is your dog kenneled regularly where it is required?

If your dog really needs the vaccine, you have a couple options. One is to use the injectable vaccine which is killed (inactivated). I was just talking to my friend/mentor, Dr Ford, about this a couple days ago. If I remember correctly, I think Zoetis (formerly called Pfizer) makes the only injectable (killed) Bordetella vaccine ... called "Bronchicine CAe". Since the Bordetella in the vaccine is dead, it does not replicate and cannot infect you ... and it is not given in the nose, so it cannot be sneezed out.

The drawback to the use of the injected Bordetella vaccine is that most of the experts do not feel it is as protective for the dog as the intranasal vaccines since the intranasals give a better local immunity in the nasal area. They generally recommend using the intranasal (IN) but if there is a reason it can't be used (e.g. uncooperative dogs that might take off the hand of the vet), then they say that the injected vaccine can be used. Perhaps, your situation would also be a reason for using the injected vaccine.

Also, there is a common viral cause of "kennel cough" called Canine Parainfluenza (CPIV). The injected Bordetella doesn't contain it ... (while most, if not all, the intranasal vaccines contain both Bordetella and CPIV). So, you may want your vet to also use a core vaccine (for Distemper, Adenovirus-2, Parvovirus) that ALSO has a modified live CPIV vaccine. So that your dog is covered for both Bordetella and CPIV.

The only other option that I can think of is for you to avoid ALL contact with your dog after vaccination for a while. I'm not sure how long shedding may last ... maybe a week or two?

I'm not a vet and I only make the above suggestions based on the 2011 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines ... and anything I may have learned from Dr Ford who is one of the co-authors of those Guidelines.

Thank you for your input, Yes again I caught a full upper respiratory infection within the incubation time lines of kennel cough vaccine being administered to the dogs. It is necessary for me to have my own dogs vaccinated as we are licensed home boarders and do everything to ensure the health and safety of boarders and resident dogs. Next year, should this phenomenon happen again, I will immediately get myself down to the doctors and get the necessary swabs done whilst I am in full blown infection.. Thank you for your advice. Regards Atirakin

Thanks for your Reply!

Report This| Share this:Diseases You Can Not Get From Your PetThank you for your input, Yes again I caught a full upper respiratory infection within the incubation time lines of kennel cough vaccine being administered to the dogs. It is necessary for me to have my own dogs vaccinated as we are licensed home boarders and do everything to ensure the health and safety of boarders and resident dogs. Next year, should this phenomenon happen again, I will immediately get myself down to the doctors and get the necessary swabs done whilst I am in full blown infection.. Thank you for your advice. Regards Atirakin